Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s six-week-long trial that has been making headlines has finally come to an end. Depp has won the defamation case. Celebs, much like many others across the globe, have closely watched the case. Talking about it, they share their opinion on whether Penney Azcarate, the chief judge of Fairfax County (Va.) The Circuit Court took the right approach to allow proceedings being televised by the Court TV. Meanwhile, many did speak against Azcarate’s decision, highlighting how disturbing, unkind and unethical it is for the victims of sexual violence.
Arun Mandola
Since I was a child, I always had this question as to why can’t every common man see what is going on in a courtroom, why is there not transparency? I have heard many cases where people spent their whole life in the courtroom. Well, take Shah Rukh Khan’s son, Aryan’s case for example. The court did not find anything but still, he was harassed. If this format was followed in this case also, then the verdict would have been faster and more accurate. Right now, I don’t have any idea whether this format will succeed in India or not, but I am sure this format will change lots of things and it will be a revolutionary decision. I must also add that from whatever I have heard, I am satisfied with the verdict in the Depp-Heard case.
Samer Singh Dawar
Depp and Heard proceedings have been a hot topic for a long time and given the magnitude of star power involved, it was expected to be like this. Personally, I did keep myself updated on how things were developing over time, without going into too much detail though. With whatever knowledge I have regarding this case, it was a fair verdict for me. Also, I actually liked the idea of it being televised. Movements like #metoo got massive support as it rightly should, supporting women and letting them come out and share those horror stories that they experienced. But at the same time, it also allowed some women to take advantage and falsely accuse innocent men. Such cases, when brought to justice, hardly get the same attention as during the beginning of the case, which in my opinion, takes away a chance at redemption from the wrongly accused. With the Johnny Depp and Amber Hand case being of such a massive magnitude, it was only fair to let the world know about the case and its verdict unfiltered by having televised the proceedings. It allowed people to have an opinion that wasn’t moulded by the press or word of mouth. I hope such proceedings start happening in India too and the audience gets to know only the truth.
Amal Sehrawat
Yes, I have seen the proceedings in bits and parts. People have been posting it everywhere and it has been mentioned very profusely in the media lately. But in my opinion personal life should remain personal and if a couple has decided to go to court they have the right for privacy. This should not be displayed in public as it’s a private matter, so it should remain like that. I didn’t follow the entire proceedings, so I am not very aware of it as I did not like the concept of everything getting televised.
